Simulation of lipid peroxidation in low-density lipoprotein by a basic "skeleton" of reactions.

A minimal kinetic model describing lipid peroxidation in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) has been set up. Models have been calculated by numeric integration of the differential equations describing this system consisting of seven reactions and eleven reactants in a single compartment. The model describes the usually observed behavior of the reaction system, showing that the crucial intermediate is the lipid peroxyl radical (LOO.). During different stages of the reaction, depending on the presence of antioxidants (alpha-tocopherol), different pathways in the reaction scheme become active. Simulation also demonstrates that tocopherol-mediated propagation can occur under certain conditions, i.e., a low rate of initiation. This, however, does not mean that tocopherol enhances lipid peroxidation in LDL, as without tocopherol the process would be much faster. Further extension of the basic model by inclusion of a hypothetical antioxidant leads to a model which is capable of describing Cu(2+)-induced LPO over the whole lag phase up to full propagation.